The ''Consulta Araldica'' ( en, College of Arms) was a college instituted by royal decree on 10 October 1869 to advise the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

government on

noble titles Traditional rank amongst European royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to another's grand duk ...

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in i ...

and related matters. It was a department of the Ministry of the Interior, combining the roles of the various

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

colleges which had existed in pre-unification Italy, including the ''Tribunale Araldico'' of

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, the ''Commissione Araldica'' of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and the ''Congregazione Araldica Capitolina'' of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The Consulta AraldicaOrdinamento e Regolamento della Regia Consulta Araldica
/ref> was dissolved following the adoption of the

Constitution of the Italian Republic The Constitution of the Italian Republic ( it, Costituzione della Repubblica Italiana) was enacted by the Constituent Assembly of Italy, Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947, with 453 votes in favour and 62 against. The text, which has sin ...

in 1948 and the abolition of state recognition and regulation of noble titles.

Constitutional Court of Italy The Constitutional Court of the Italian Republic ( it, Corte costituzionale della Repubblica Italiana) is the highest court of Italy in matters of constitutional law. Sometimes, the name ''Consulta'' is used as a metonym for it, because its sessi ...

'
sentence (law)
number 101 at 26 June 1967. Published in the

Gazzetta Ufficiale The ''Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana'' (Italian, ) is the official journal of record of the Italian government. It is published by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. Function The ''Gazzetta Ufficiale'' promulga ...

no.177 of 17 July 1967. Although today no government official or office can grant titles of nobility, some of the Consulta Araldica's functions are still performed by the Heraldic Office within the Office of the Prime Minister. Despite its name, the Consulta Araldica rarely dealt with armorial

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

. However, an official ''Blasonario'', or

armorial A roll of arms (or armorial) is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms. The oldest extant armorials date to the mid-13th centur ...

, was in an early draft stage when the monarchy was abolished in 1946. Plans had called for this to include the

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The ...

s of Italian families whether titled or not. For Italian titles please refer to the Consulta Araldica's official directories approved by the Council of Ministers and by Royal Decree – Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Italiana.Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Sezione Araldica, (State Archive, Heraldry), Rome
/ref> The

Corpo della Nobiltà Italiana The ''Corpo della nobiltà italiana'' (Italian, 'Body of the Italian Nobility'), sometimes referred to as CNI, is a private association established in 1957 to protect heraldic and nobility rights of Italian nobles after the republican constituti ...

is a private association. Other nobility associations exist as well.

References

This article was originally based on its counterpart in the

Italian Wikipedia The Italian Wikipedia ( it, Wikipedia in italiano) is the Italian-language edition of Wikipedia. This edition was created on May 11, 2001 and first edited on June 11, 2001. As of , , it has articles and more than registered accounts. It is t ...

, as retrieved on 2006-09-24:
Consulta Araldica
Heraldic authorities Italian heraldry Italian nobility Government agencies established in 1869 Government agencies disestablished in 1948 1869 establishments in Italy {{Heraldic authorities

Further reading

References